Suspect held for alleged prostitute's murder

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The Falmouth police say a man is now in custody after he reportedly used a golf club to fatally beat a woman, believed to be a prostitute, near the Falmouth Pier on Tuesday night.

The dead woman has been identified as Candice London Edwards, unemployed, of De La Vega City, Spanish Town, in St Catherine.

Superintendent Dwight Powell, head of the Trelawny police, said: "It (the incident) involved an unemployed woman who we believe is a sex worker. The incident took place on the road. During an altercation with a man, she was hit in the head with a golf club. She was taken to the hospital in an unconscious state and she died. The suspect is in custody at this time."

Reports are that at about 11:30 p.m. Edwards and another woman, who is also believed to be soliciting in the parish capital, got into a verbal altercation.

The suspect, who was standing close by, got involved and Edwards reportedly pepper-sprayed him.

IN CUSTODY

It is alleged that the man reportedly picked up a golf club and began hitting Edwards all over her body. He was taken into police custody after the incident.

Falmouth's mayor, Councillor Colin Gager, lamented the violence which has been plaguing the town, including a recent incident in which three persons, including a 13-year-old schoolboy, were shot.

"This is the second major incident in Falmouth over the past few days and the sad thing is that both incidents occurred close to the cruise shipping pier," said Gager. "If this kind of behaviour continues, it will surely impact our cruise shipping and we cannot afford to have these negative happenings, which could hurt the flow of tourists coming into the town."